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Summer: A good time to quit

Dr_Hurt
Mayo Clinic
0 1 51

Summertime is here!  Summer is a time of outdoor barbecues, softball games, and spending time with family and friends.  It is also a good time to stop smoking. 

Many people find that there is more to do in the summer so it is easier to keep busy.  Gardening, camping, and playing ball games are all good healthy activities that can distract a person from thoughts of smoking.  Also, when you stop smoking your ability to breathe better and enjoy physical activity improves; a win-win situation for you. 

Once you stop smoking you will no longer have to leave gatherings to smoke.  You can enjoy the company of those you are with and not miss out on time with friends and family.  Very soon after stopping smoking food tastes better and your sense of smell returns so you can better enjoy the good food cooking on the grill.

Enjoy this summer.  Have fun being outside and active in the good company of others.  Make this summer the first smoke-free summer of the rest of your life.
 

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About the Author
Retired in 2014. Dr. Richard D. Hurt is an internationally recognized expert on tobacco dependence. A native of Murray, Kentucky, he joined Mayo Clinic in 1976 and is now a Professor of Medicine at its College of Medicine. In 1988, he founded the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center and since then its staff has treated more than 50,000 patients for tobacco dependence.